In pictures: Bushfires rage across New South Wales

A burnt-out boat (C) sits in front of a house destroyed by bushfires in Winmalee in Sydney's Blue Mountains on 18 October 2013

Dozens of wildfires are continuing to burn in the Australian state of New South Wales, with fears that many homes have been razed.

Saved crockery sits on the letterbox at the front of a house destroyed by bushfires in Winmalee in Sydney's Blue Mountains on 18 October 2013

Around 100 fires are burning, several of them in the Blue Mountains area to the west of Sydney.

In this photo provided by the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, smoke rises from a fire near Lithgow, west of Sydney, on 17 October 2013

The fires were being fanned by unusually warm temperatures and high winds.

A burnt-out car sits in front of a house destroyed by bushfires in Winmalee in Sydney's Blue Mountains on 18 October 2013

One fire raced through parts of the town of Winmalee, 80km (50 miles) west of Sydney, destroying a number of houses.

A general view of Sydney shrouded in smoke haze on 17 October 2013

Australia's largest city, Sydney, is under a blanket of smoke and ash from the wildfires.

A general view of play during the Ryobi Cup cricket match between the South Australian Redbacks and the Western Australia Warriors at Drummoyne Oval in Sydney on 17 October 2013

Deputy NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Rob Rogers said the fire situation was the worst he had seen in more than a decade.

Smoke and ash from wildfires burning across the state of New South Wales blankets the Sydney city skyline

Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who was due to visit affected communities on Friday, said he grieved for those affected by the fires.